Housing for Bellingham

We’ve seen what happens when we underplan for population growth… ✅ Shortage of housing ✅ Increase in rent and housing prices ✅ Increase in homelessness ✅ Sprawl Whatcom County should plan for Alternative 2 (medium-high growth) to provide its cities with a more forgiving and realistic framework to accommodate future growth. . . . #comprehensiveplan #populationprojections #whatcomcounty #bellinghamwa #growthmanagement #housing #housingcrisis #housingsolution #housingforbellingham

On Monday, January 13th the Bellingham City Council will reinstate in-person public comment. To ensure safety, the City is piloting new security measures at the Council meetings including having in-person attendees go through a metal detector to undergo weapons screening before entering the Council Chambers. “We are taking this step with the intention that people attending Council meetings will have an added sense of safety and be able to participate fully, knowing these security measures are in place,” said City of Bellingham Mayor Kim Lund. “Security screenings are becoming more common everywhere we go. Putting in place a layer of protection, like the screenings conducted at County government and court buildings, is a prudent thing to do to enhance safety for community members, City staff and Councilmembers alike.” Learn more about the new procedures by following the link: https://lnkd.in/gg9dtFRT . . . #bellinghamwa #whatcomcounty

Mark your calendars for an important upcoming meeting on January 223rd at 6:30pm. The Whatcom County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing and work session on amending the countywide planning policies used for the comprehensive plan. The amendments relate to housing, public involvement, urban growth areas, rural areas, open space and greenbelt corridors, economic development and employment, transportation, public facilities, impact fees, intergovernmental cooperation, water quality and quantity, buildable lands, Tribal cultural resources, and climate change and community resilience. The meeting materials will be published in advance of the meeting on the County’s website. The link to watch and participate in the meeting is below. We'll have additional reminders as we get closer to the 23rd. https://lnkd.in/gQJNVaiK . . . #whatcomcounty #comprehensiveplanning #planning #bellinghamwa #housingforbellingham

The pop culture site, Buzzfeed, published comments from their audience who are sharing their experiences buying (or trying to buy) a home and here are just a few responses. Before you dismiss Buzzfeed as purely an entertainment space where millennials and Gen Z can commiserate (Statista reports their 2024 audience was primarily between the ages of 25 and 44), consider the long-term impacts to our society and economy. What will the U.S. look like in 20 years when millennials are in their 60s without sufficient wealth to retire? After all, homeownership is how most Americans accrue wealth. We know we need an immediate increase in housing supply to reduce housing costs, but we’re not responding fast enough. What can we do today, in Bellingham, to incentivize the development of more housing supply? Follow the link to Buzzfeed’s article to read all of the comments. https://lnkd.in/gSGzCXk8 . . . #housingcrisis #housingmarket #housingforbellingham #housingsolutions

More market-rate housing increases supply and helps lower housing prices. It also helps cause a chain of mobility across income tiers and increases vacancy rates. Saying no to new housing development only hurts our community, especially those in lower-income brackets as the limited supply pushes housing prices higher. While it’s human nature to resist change in our neighborhoods, we’ll strengthen our economy and overall community well-being by embracing new housing development throughout our city and county. . . . #housingfacts #housingcrisissolutions #housingcrisis #bellinghamwa #whatcomcounty #housingforbellingham

This op-ed in the Cascadia Daily News spotlights why it’s critical for Bellingham to reconfigure their urban growth areas (UGAs) to include new buildable land, land that is not farmland, land that can sustain the housing needed to support the next 20 years of growth and prevent sprawl from happening in areas around Whatcom County that reduce our farmland and impact our environment. Photo of Whatcom's farmland by Hailey Hoffman Article link below. https://lnkd.in/esZsHJNX . . . #comprehensiveplanning #landuseplanning #housingforbellingham #whatcomfamilyfarmers #whatomcounty

Happy 2025! 🎉 The first Bellingham City Council Meeting of the year will be held in the Mayor’s boardroom at 12:30pm on Monday, January 6th. In addition to the 2025 State Legislative Agenda presentation, there will be two work sessions during Monday's meeting: 1. Work Session Regarding Landlord Tenant Relations and Unfair or Excessive Fees in Residential Rental Agreements and Leases 2. Work Session Regarding Manufactured/Mobile Home Landlord Tenant Relations and Unfair or Excessive Fees in Manufactured/Mobile Home Lease Agreements Watch the meeting online or attend in person, find the details by following the link to the agenda packet which holds important meeting schedule information for the upcoming year. https://lnkd.in/gfF89qFi . . . #bellinghamwa #citycouncil #whatcomcounty #housingforbellingham

Yesterday we lost hero for housing. Jimmy Carter was 100 when he passed away, leaving behind a life well lived. Whether you agree with his politics or not, he was a man who followed his beliefs with action, dedicating decades to his belief that housing is a basic human right. The quotes in the graphics were taken from an interview on 88.1 WVPE where he closes with: “[T]he main thing I want to impress on the listeners today is just to use every influence you have to encourage up more attention being paid by banks and by city governments and by state governments and by the federal government to making housing available for everybody, decent housing. And that's what Habitat does in a very small, but growing way, and that's what everybody ought to be concerned about as a top human right for everybody.” Access to affordable housing should be a concern for everyone in Bellingham and Whatcom County. Housing equates to security and stability. As the wealth gap continues to widen and more people are unable to afford housing the economic stability of our community becomes more and more fragile. #jimmycarter #habitatforhumanity #housingisahumanright #housing #housingforbellingham

HUD released its January 2024 Point-In-Time estimates yesterday showing an 18% increase in homelessness compared to 2023. However, officials believe this number to be lower at this time because of changed policies and conditions to address homelessness throughout the country. Specifically the report points to the evidence-based practices and targeted funding that resulted in a reduction of homelessness among veterans to the lowest number on record. This achievement underscores the fact that stable and affordable housing is central to reducing homelessness. Read the HUD January 2024 Point-In-Time Count Report by following the link: https://lnkd.in/embG4Yj6 . . . #housing #housingforbellingham #housingcrisis

Merry, Merry ✨ Happy, Happy to all celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa this week! As we look at the comprehensive planning process underway for 2045 we are hopeful that we have learned from past planning decisions and are motivated to create a more resilient strategy that will accommodate future growth while meeting the current demand for affordable housing. All stakeholders in the planning process should want to see a stronger middle class, a more resilient and equitable economy, and a thriving and protected environment for Bellingham’s residents. #housingforbellingham #bellinghamwa #whatcomcounty